A Victory For Taste

Greetings, Readers, and Happy New Year!

It's been awhile, but for the holidays I took a little trip back to Philadelphia and took some time away from the internet in order to relax at the end of the year.

But don't think this means I disappeared from the trail of a good sandwich!

I reached out to the Visit Philly twitter account for suggestions and they were fantastic (one of them will be spotlighted in the coming weeks), but for my first trip, we went out to Downingtown to visit Victory Brewing Co. for beer, a brewery tour, and lunch.

The brewery tour is great experience, and one I would highly recommend. If you also haven't ever had any Victory beer before, I would also tell you to try everything on tap.

We can't forget the food though. Settling down to a table with family after a few pints of Victory's beer (the Gose and then Storm King for me), I settled on the Pastrami with Swiss sandwich.

A simple choice, but if you've been reading this blog long enough, you know that it's one of my favorite types of sandwiches. For Victory's offering, they filled it with house-made hickory smoked pastrami, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and cole slaw between two slices of grilled rye bread.

The pastrami was fantastic. Warm, thin slices full of flavor, juice and tenderness. The smoky Swiss permeated the entire sandwich, holding it together, and the crisp cool cole slaw presented an excellent contrast to the rest of the sandwich.

The fries were crisp on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside with great seasoning. Pair these two together with a light-in-color-but-not-in-flavor beer and you have a great way to spend an afternoon with friends and family at one of Pennsylvania's best breweries.

My journey over the holidays continues next week in Philadelphia itself with a great sandwich from Jake's Sandwich Board. So for the next few days let this sandwich's savory flavors mellow in your mind.

Until next week...

Pastrami and Swiss
**** Stars
Victory Brewing Company
420 Acorn Lane
Downingtown, PA 19335

Into The Cold...For Christmas!

Greetings, Readers!

Happy Holidays and Happy Hanukkah to some of you out there!

I am heading home to celebrate Christmas this year in Philadelphia, and like any good trip back east, I am looking for some fantastic sandwiches to enjoy in the City of Brotherly Love.

I'm in the mood for some new, delicious cheesesteaks that I may not have tried yet. So, do you know a great local spot that only your neighborhood knows about? If so, let me know in the comments below.

Also, do you know of another sandwich you've had lately that you would consider a Philadelphia classic, like DiNic's in the Reading Terminal Market?

Leave your suggestions in the comments below, and happy sandwiching to you all!

P.S. - If you haven't read my guest blog for Deli Fresh Threads yet, check it out here!

Until next week...

They Call Me...

Yukon Cornelius!

Greetings, Readers!

With "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" and Yukon Cornelius trending worldwide on Twitter last night because of it airing on TV, I got to thinking: I would like to create a sandwich that lives up to the name of the North Pole's most famous prospector.

To start, the sandwich has to be hearty, a meal to get a person through the harsh weather of the North Pole.

For me, the the sandwich should consist mainly of corned beef, not only because it's hearty and rich, but also because it sort of shares its name with the character.

While I try to hack out a delicious dedication to this classic character, what would you add to make this sandwich as much of a legend as its namesake?

Until next week...

Post-Thanksgiving Recovery

Greetings, Readers!

I hope your Thanksgiving was excellent, and that your Black Friday Thanksgiving Leftover sandwiches were equally enjoyable. 

There's something about that sandwich that's so enjoyable. Maybe it's the fact that all of the ingredients are readily at your disposal. Or maybe the fact that all of the ingredients of a Turkey Day dinner go so well together on a plate, why not just pile them between two slices of your favorite bread (rye or sourdough for me, please). 

Besides this dish though, there was a quick review I wanted to put out there. A new barbecue restaurant has opened up on Ventura Blvd. in Studio City called Barrel and Ashes. Even though I didn't try out any of their sandwiches on a recent visit, I did try their smoked brisket, which they do provide as a sandwich as well. 

Apologies as I hadn't expected to visit here, I wasn't expecting a sandwich trip.

The brisket was tender, juicy and absolutely delicious. A permeating smoke flavor with some sweetness were the main sensations with an underlying buttery flavor from the melty fat bits throughout the slices. Before we knew what was happening, the meat was gone.

I will definitely be returning here, and most definitely to give their sandwiches an actual try. While I haven't sampled the bread the sandwiches are on, I can't give this trip a full 5 Stars, but if the bread is even half as good as the meat itself, I can only imagine it'll easily grab my highest rating. 

Stop in, have some hoe cake, and enjoy some excellent barbecue.

Until next week...

Smoked Brisket

**** 1/2 Stars

Barrel and Ashes

11801 Ventura Blvd. 

Studio City, CA 91604

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving tomorrow with your family and friends. 

Eat, drink, and be thankful.

And on the following day, enjoy all of those delicious leftover sandwiches!

The Difficulties of Sandwiching

Greetings, Readers!

This week I am busily reviewing all of my past sandwich reviews in order to rank some of my favorites. I am writing a guest blog for Deli Fresh Threads to discuss LA sandwiches. 

I have to admit that it's kind of difficult. For one, I wouldn't say there is a definitive LA sandwich. For those who haven't been to the city before, we are more like a city of cities, each with their own cultures and styles. 

So if there is an LA "style" it's that there is variation, and so this post will be filled with plenty of variety. I hope you'll check it out when it's up. 

For now though, make sure you check out his blog here and enjoy the writings of a fellow sandwich lover. 

Also, if you haven't been following me on Twitter, click here for daily updates!

An Ace Up My Sleeve

Greetings, Readers!

I hope you have all recovered from the festivities of National Sandwich Day like I have.

To celebrate this special day, I decided to have some lunch with family at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

The Ace opened earlier this year on Broadway in the historic United Artists Building. Originally built in 1927, the building has been updated but still keeps a lot of its old school charm and feel. Broadway has been going through a bit of a revitalization over the years and this is a gleaming anchor of the district.

The rooftop bar provides not only excellent drinks but a great view of DTLA that is well worth visiting the hotel for on its own. Even better for sandwich lovers though, is the restaurant, L.A. Chapter, on the main floor. Taking a seat on the sidewalk seating, I took my time with the menu. The salads and other eats all looked amazing, but the sandwiches showed someone had taken their time in crafting them.

The Lobster Roll won out over all of the other options, though i'm sure I will be back to try the others. Savory chunks of lobster are stacked in a toasted roll with harissa, celery, hearts of palm and furikake. This savory sandwich surprised me with a bit of sweetness throughout along with a kick of spice. The buttery lobster was an incredible experience and some of the best seafood I've had in awhile.

The roll was buttery and lightly toasted, a great complement to the savory insides of the sandwich.

If you're in Los Angeles, or you live here and want someplace new to check out, hop on Metro (yes it exists) or drive on down to this bright and shiny updated section of Broadway and get to know a little known neighborhood. Starting at the Ace and LA Chapter are definitely the way to start this visit off on the right foot.

Until next week, Readers...


The Lobster Roll
**** Stars
L.A. Chapter at The Ace Hotel
927 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA